This invention relates generally to solid or phase change ink image producing machines, and more particularly to a high-speed phase change image producing machine including a static eliminating solid ink container.
In general, phase change ink image producing machines or printers employ phase change inks that are in the solid phase at ambient temperature, but exist in the molten or melted liquid phase (and can be ejected as drops or jets) at the elevated operating temperature of the machine or printer. At such an elevated operating temperature, droplets or jets of the molten or liquid phase change ink are ejected from a printhead device of the printer onto a printing media. Such ejection can be directly onto a final image receiving substrate, or indirectly onto an imaging member before transfer from it to the final image receiving media. In any case, when the ink droplets contact the surface of the printing media, they quickly solidify to create an image in the form of a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
An example of such a phase change ink image producing machine or printer, and the process for producing images therewith onto image receiving sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852 issued Dec. 13, 1994 to Titterington et al. As disclosed therein, the phase change ink printing process includes raising the temperature of a solid form of the phase change ink so as to melt it and form a molten liquid phase change ink. It also includes applying droplets of the phase change ink in a liquid form onto an imaging surface in a pattern using a device such as an ink jet printhead. The process then includes solidifying the phase change ink droplets on the imaging surface, transferring them the image receiving substrate, and fixing the phase change ink to the substrate.
As is well known in the art, phase change inks used in such machines are waxy, melt at less than about 120 degrees C., and therefore are very different from dry powder toners that are used in xerographic machines. Examples of such phase change inks are disclosed in the following references. U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,310 issued Nov. 20, 2001 and entitled “Phase Change Ink Compositions” discloses a phase change ink comprising (a) a carbamate or thiourea, said carbamate or thiourea having a melting point of no higher than about 120 degrees C. and an acoustic loss value of no more than about 100 decibels per millimeter, (b) a colorant, (c) a branched hydrocarbon with a number average molecular weight of no more than about 10,000 and a melting point or softening point of no more than about 120 degrees C., (d) an optional plasticizer, (e) an optional alcohol having a melting point of less than about 90 degrees C. and an acoustic loss value of no more than about 100 decibels per millimeter, (f) an optional lightfastness-imparting agent, and (g) an optional antioxidant.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,125 issued Aug. 1, 2000 and entitled “Ink Compositions” discloses an ink composition comprised of (1) a mixture comprised of a salt and an oxyalkylene compound wherein the conductive mixture possesses a melting point of from about 60 degrees C. to about 120 degrees C.; (2) an ink vehicle compound with a melting point of from about 80 degrees C. to about 100 degrees C.; (3) a viscosity modifying amide compound; (4) a lightfastness component; (5) a lightfastness antioxidant; and (6) a colorant.
In xerography which utilizes dry powder toners instead of solid inks like those above, it is known to use ordinary containers as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,323 issued Feb. 27, 1996; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,505 issued Dec. 16, 2003 to contain and feed a quantity of easy flowing dry toner particles to a machine development station.
In solid ink printing however, the conventional solid form of the phase change is a “stick”, “block”, “bar” or “pellet” as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,803 (rectangular block 24, cylindrical block 224); U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,339 (cylindrical block 22); U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,157 (hexagonal bar 12); U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,608 (tapered lock with a stepped configuration). Further examples of such solid forms are also disclosed in design patents such as U.S. Design Pat. No. D453,787 issued Feb. 19, 2002. In use, each such block form “stick”, “block”, “bar” or “pellet” is fed into a heated melting device that melts or phase changes the “stick”, “block”, “bar” or “pellet” directly into a print head reservoir for printing as described above.
Additionally it has been further merely suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,803 that the solid ink therein can be provided and handled in granular form. As described therein, a substantially cylindrical housing receives an auger that is rotated by a motor. Interstices between the cylindrical housing and a surface of the auger are filled with the solid-state ink in granular form. As the auger rotates, the ink in granular form approaches a discharge location and falls through the discharge opening into a trough. It has been found however that ordinarily attempting to feed solid ink in particulate or granular form frictionally by rotational contact within a container results in undesirable generation and imparting of electrostatic charge to the solid ink particles, which in turn causes undesirable clogging and bridging of the solid ink particles within the container.